(D6, MA-LA, Renown, Open) Free Play

[Whisper]

"He definitely will. Is there anywhere specific you would like to go?"

[Mysti]

Mysti gave Whisper another one of her characteristic shrugs.

"Well ... to tell the truth, I've only been outside of Sigil a handful of times ... and then only to chase down a bounty. Most of them didn't try hiding in beautiful forests, unfortunately. In fact, they usually tried hiding in truly foul places where they thought no one would look for them."

Her gaze drifted upward a bit as she thought about things for a moment.

"But ... right now, I'll just be happy to get out of the city for awhile. I'm not a loner, per se, but I do often find myself alone. Especially since I often work alone. So being away from crowds ... well, you get the idea. If I had a choice, though, I'd love to visit one of those old growth forests -- the kind where a grown man could put his arms around a tree trunk and not be able to clasp his hands together. The kind that seems bathed in perpetual twilight -- as my affinity for shadows ought to show. A place covered with ferns on the floor and leaves high in the trees, with the sound of bird song, and old crumbling ruins dotting the landscape where some ancient, long forgotten city once stood. A place with sun-dappled meadows festooned with wildflowers -- the kind of place one might choose for a picnic."

She shook her head then and made a little groaning sound. "I don't know if a place like that even exists -- it's the kind of place that seems to exist only in my dreams and fantasies." Then she smirked slightly. "A place where I can get one of those flying cats ..."

[Whisper]

"Tir na Og." he suggested. "Let's start there. There are ways to go directly to the Deep Forest, but Tir na Og is a pleasant adventure in itself. We might even get caught up in a Wild Hunt. Not as the hinted, preferably."

[Mysti]

Mysti nodded enthusiastically.

"Admittedly, the name doesn't sound like the name of a wondrous forest ... but I'll take your word for it." She gave Whisper a little chuckle, but quickly became serious again.

"So is that far from here? Sounds like it's on a different plane altogether. And how dangerous is it?"

She pursed her lips thoughtfully. "I think I've heard of the Wild Hunt, but I can't remember from where. Or what it is, exactly. But no matter what it is ... I agree that it's usually best if you're not the one being hunted. So let's make sure we aren't."

[Whisper]

"Tir na Og isn't too far. It's a realm of rolling hills, grassy plains and oak forests. An ient ruins van be found there, along with small villages and isolated homsteads. There are no cities and the people there live free, simple lives. The Wild Hunt is the consequence for those who disrupt that peace. A pack of predators is assembled to hunt down such transgressors." he explained. "There are other realms within Tir na Og, including the Deep Forest. It is nature in its purest form. Ancient, beautiful and dangerous."

[Mysti]

"It ... sounds like the kind of place I'd like to visit," Mysti admitted, her speech cadence a bit slow as she thought about the words she used. "I don't know a whole lot about surviving in the forest. I lived my whole life within one city or another and haven't had much opportunity to get out -- which is a big reason why it is so appealing to get away from everyone for awhile."

"Do you know what it means -- to disturb the peace there? I can take care of myself well enough -- but I'd rather not be chased down by a pack of -- whatever is sent. Wolves and whatnot."

"Hmm ... wait," Mysti regarded Whisper for a moment, saying nothing, just observing. "Are you one those ranger types? Someone who knows their way around the forests? Because ... I couldn't think of a better person with whom to just dive cluelessly and ignorantly into the forests of some other plane. How much do you know?"

[Whisper]

"The people there just want to live free and safe." he said. "As long as we don't cause them harm or oppress them, we should be fine. I am a ranger abd am comfortable in most wilderness settings, though my training is largely focused on hunting in darkness."

[Mysti]

"Heh ... okay. Alright. Good, then." Mysti nodded a few times -- slowly but yet she was still excited at this kind of good fortune. After that, she chuckled, reaching out and grabbing Whisper's arm again. Only this time, it was a much gentler touch. "And to think I had you pegged as a rogue. You know, the scoundrel type. Like me. It's why I gave you that sign when I first sat down. Rogues and rangers -- we do tend to dress in a similar fashion, I suppose. But yeah ... with Hush, it's starting to make sense."

"But why the darkness, though? Was it on account of that little demi-plane you grew up in? Not that ... I mind the darkness. I even summon my own shadows to hide in and use them to teleport from one shadow to the next. I can do well in darkness -- just not total darkness. In absolute darkness, I'm as blind as anyone else."

Mysti looked to one side of her, than the other, under the table and just about everywhere save the ceiling. "My buzz is wearing off. Was hoping there was some ale or something. I don't really want the buzz to wear off because I feel like if it does, the spell will be broken. Somehow."

[Whisper]

"Spells that could so easily be broken are probably not worth much." he shrugged. "But I don't think it's a concern. The forest was always dark and some areas seemed entirely black. I learned to navigate such areas, even when there was no light to see."

[Mysti]

Mysti sat sideways in her seat ... waiting ... so when another barracks page strolled by, she all but ambushed the kid to get a bottle of ale. He nodded and hurried off.

"As for spells breaking -- let's just say that I'm not known for my streaks of good fortune. Sometimes it takes me a little while to accept it when anything good and worthwhile happens. I always feel like I'm about to be the butt of some cosmic joke."

Once the page had been alerted, she turned back around to sit facing Whisper directly. "Don't mind my pessimism. It happens when you live in the city all your life. All of the scheming and machinations -- and everyone lying to you about something. Such is life among the Harmonium. It's not that I don't trust you, specifically, or think you're lying. I have no reason to think that. But I've been doing this work for some two decades. You can get jaded pretty quickly."

She gave Whisper a cheeky grin. "I guess that's why I need out of the city for awhile. Some twilit paradise that smells of plants and loam and life. You know the kind of place I mean. Sounds like you grew up in such a place. Any particular reason why you ended up here? Do you have family here ... or some other something that keeps you bound?"